Happy 79th, Chuck!

Chuck Barris hits the big seven-nine today.

Best known as the host of the supremely ridiculous Gong Show, Barris also created The Dating Game and wrote "Palisades Park" (made famous by Freddy Cannon, later covered by the Beach Boys and the Ramones). Also, his "unauthorized autobiography" -- in which he claimed he was a CIA hit man -- was written for the screen by the fantastic Charlie Kaufman and directed by George Clooney.

But, The Gong Show. Let's look at a clip.

Brilliant.